F/Stop - Prizewinning Photography - April, 2004

Wisdom search this morning emphasized again that in all of our work and activity, our identity, our fulfillment, and our vision must be of God–in Him and for Him. All of life–even photography and how we use it–is for God alone. With this thought in mind, we grabbed our gear and headed out to the Dallas Arboretum; a land of flowers, green grass, and sunshine.

Three workshops awaited us there. Children's photography showed us ways to capture the innocence of the young. (And also how much fun it can be to chase around little ones as they scamper happily among the flower beds.)

Bridal photography gave us pointers for helping make someone's special day immortal. We watched as our instructor worked with the model to achieve that perfect elegant beauty so befitting a bride. (A fellow student rather humorously remarked, that he didn't think he could do wedding pictures, because "Girls are too picky; it would drive me crazy.")

The third workshop was one on photographing couples. We followed our instructor around as he shot some engagement pictures for a happy pair. We learned practical lessons in posing, using reflectors, and even human psychology. (Didn't know this was covered at IPS, did you?)

With these lessons under our belts (or should I say camera straps?), we were free to roam the gardens, armed with both color and black and white. The day was overcast, with occasional bursts of bright sunlight, which either made you frantically run to set up a picture before those cool dark shadows went away, or wrinkle your nose in frustration because those same dark shadows were ruining your portrait.

The evening was spent practicing with studio lights and gaining some final pro-tips from our instructors.

This day has been so incredibly full. As we all retire to dream in high-key vivid colors, I am reminded again that God is good-and we must remain focused on Him.

–Prizewinning Photography Student Shiopei Cheng

Film loaded, batteries charged and cameras ready… We headed off to the land of fruit and flowers… The infamous Farmers Market. With even more information to remember and challenging assignments, we split into groups and headed off to face the adventures of the day.

Green houses filled with some of the most incredible flowers, barns filled with crafts, furniture, and other miscellaneous objects, rows upon rows of brightly colored fruits and vegetables were just waiting to be photographed. Just about everywhere you looked you would find a fellow photographer working hard to find the best angle to create the perfect image. From lying flat on the ground, standing on tables, crunched in a corner, peeking under cars, leaning forward, tilting sideways… the list goes on. I have learned to never underestimate what the photographer may have gone through in order to get that "favorite photo."

Our contest images of the day were to photograph an adult, avocado, and amusement. It did not take me long to realize that this group of 30 or so photographers were probably providing the most amusement that Farmers Market has seen in a while.

With our two rolls of completed film, one of color and one of black and white, we headed back to the Training center for more instruction and to await in anticipation or for some dread the return of our developed photos.

As the sun was just finishing setting for the night we all trooped out to the parking lot to test our skills at taking "night shots" of the Dallas skyline.

In it all I am reminded of our awesome Creator who made things so beautiful that and so detailed that it often takes more than the human eye to see its rich beauty.

—Prizewinning Photography Student Michelle Neu

Our third day in Dallas was quite exciting! After starting out the day with a devotional from Rowan, we all piled into the vans and snapped some pictures of a park in Dallas. The instructions given were to focus on stopped motion, blurred motion, as well as large and small depths of field. Our subjects included waterfalls, plants, tombstones, statues of a Western cow herd, and anything else that caught our photographic eye.

After lunch, we got our first lesson in studio lighting, studied the criteria for getting the right composition to make the picture interesting, and heard about the reasons to use black and white film.

To top the day off, we spent the whole evening reviewing the pictures we took throughout the morning, critiquing and offering suggestions as to how we can improve the overall look of our pictures. Hopefully, we all will be able to take what we've learned today and use it tomorrow to take even better pictures!

–Prizewinning Photography Student Peter Kroon

Hello to all who are reading this! We are alive and well here at the IPS course in Dallas, and eagerly absorbing all of the knowledge that we can from the world of photography.

The first morning of our week started off with instructor Cassidy Brock sharing some great analogies that God has been teaching her regarding the special relationship a master shepherd has with a straying sheep whose leg he has broken in order to teach it a lesson.

Just as this lamb must be carried by the shepherd during the healing process, so we must rest on the shoulders of the Lord–our Master Shepherd–when He is teaching our hearts not to wander.

You can't miss His will when you are in His path, and you have easy access to His ready ear. You are more sensitive to Him and are grieved by what grieves Him. You know what pleases Him. When you are in a trial, the Lord put you there, around His shoulders, because He wants intimate fellowship with you. "He restores my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake" (Psalm 23:3).

After breakfast and a short session in the morning we set out for the streets of Dallas. Armed with cameras, we searched for ways to creatively capture our first assignments–bricks, babies, and something blue. We encountered many people who thought we were nuts and also eager parents who were more than glad to have their baby pose for a shot.

When we got back to the Dallas Training Center, Rowan Gillson introduced us to the confusing world of using a camera manually. Shutter speed, aperture, f-stops, focal lengths… Rowan did a good job teaching it and it is wonderful to have patient instructors who don't think any of our questions are stupid.

Nathan Davidson then proceeded to teach us about exposure and metering which made our poor heads spin, but I was beginning to see the light of understanding dawning in the distance…

Cassidy taught us about film in the next class and then it was time for supper. Shortly thereafter our pictures arrived. It was wonderful fun to see the pictures we had just taken, have them critiqued by the instructors, and learn how we can improve our shots.

It has been a beautiful day and I am excited to see what each day will have in store for us as the "mystery" of photography is revealed.

–Prizewinning Photography Student Susan Tiegs